Bonding
by Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416
Summary: Various moments between either Nick and Udonna or Nick and Leanbow or Nick with both his parents.
1. Strength

**Bonding**

_Chapter 1: Strength_

Udonna glanced over at her son. They stopped for the night approximately three hours away from Briarwood. Bowen's bike had broken down again and now he was trying to fix it. Leanbow had gone to find somewhere that had some decent shelter or something he could use to make a decent shelter.

Bowen glanced up at her and then quickly began working on his bike. Even though it had only lasted a second, Udonna had seen something in her son's eyes. It was a combination of pain and fear, and maybe even sadness.

"Bowen, is everything alright?" Udonna asked, moving slightly closer to her son.

Bowen nodded and Udonna decided not to press the matter until her son opened his mouth and murmured, "No, Mom, everything is not alright."

She sank to the ground next to him and asked, "Why?"

He looked up at her and set aside his tools—he'd fix his bike later.

He bit his lip and then answered, "I'm just scared I'm going to turn around and you'll be gone."

Udonna reached out and placed a motherly kiss on her son's forehead. "Bowen, I will always be there for you," she told him.

He nodded and asked, "Promise me you won't get captured again, please, Mom?"

Udonna nodded and asked, "Why?"

Bowen buried his face against his mother's chest and began to cry. Udonna wrapped her arms around her son and began rubbing his back. "I'm not strong enough," Bowen mumbled into her shirt.

Udonna pulled back and asked, "Bowen, what are you talking about?"

Bowen wiped his nose on his sleeve and explained, "When Hekatoid captured you, I lost it on Xander and went on about I was alone again. Then when Sculpin took you, it was that same feeling of helplessness. I can't lose you again." He began to cry again and Udonna carefully pulled her son onto her lap and rocked him gently.

"Bowen, you don't have to protect everyone..." She began.

He raised his eyebrows and she continued, "It's my job to protect you—not your job to protect me."

He nodded and curled into his mother. It felt safe and familiar, sitting there in his mother's arms, as she glanced up as his father rejoined them.


	2. Advice

_Chapter 2: Advice_

Leanbow saw his son—Bowen—or Nick, as most of the world knew the young wizard, moping in his room.

"Hey, can I come in, son?" Leanbow asked the young wizard.

Nick nodded. Then he asked, "Dad, how did you know?"

Leanbow raised his eyebrows and asked, "How did I know what?"

"Dad, how did you know that you loved Mom?" Nick asked.

Leanbow frowned. "I don't know. I just knew I had to spend the rest of my life with her," he said thoughtfully. "Why?"

Nick grimaced and said, "There's this girl and I really like her..."

"Ah, girl trouble," Leanbow murmured, as he slowly sat on the floor.

Nick nodded and Leanbow asked, "Is it Madison?"

Nick nodded and then asked, "How did you know?"

Leanbow smiled and said, "I think everyone knows that at least one of you has a crush on the other—relax, I won't tell. Your mother and I could both tell you liked Madison."

Nick grinned and, joining his father on the floor, asked, "What should I do?"

Leanbow shrugged but said, "Trust your heart."

Nick raised his eyebrows and Leanbow continued, "That's my father told me when I fell in love with your mother."

Nick grinned and Leanbow added, "Please just don't think it's a good idea to camp outside the girl's house until she comes home and decides to talk to you or her parents make her talk to you to get off their property. It won't end well. But be persisent. It will pay off."

Nick looked at his father, who said, "Let's just say your mother's parents didn't like me too much for that."

Then Nick added, "But if I go out with Maddie, Vida will kill me!"

Leanbow groaned and said, "Bowen, look. Niella threatened me—yes, your aunt was protective of your mother—but if you let your fear of V killing you, you'll never know if Maddie feels the same way."

Nick nodded and the two men got up. Nick turned to go, but then turned around and hugged his father. "Thanks, Dad," he smiled.

He ran off and, his mother, Udonna, asked, "Where are you off to in such a rush, Bowen?"

Nick answered, "I have to talk to Madison."

Udonna smiled and the next day, everyone learned that the red and blue mystics were dating.


	3. Nightmares

_Chapter 3: Nightmares_

Bowen shifted suddenly in his sleep and mumbled, "Mom. Dad."

Udonna and Leanbow exchanged a glance. They had quickly learned that their son had a tendency to sometimes talk in his sleep, usually calling for them to reassure him of their reestablished presence in his life.

Leanbow grabbed his son's blanket and tucked the teen into bed. He then curled up a few feet away, his arms holding Udonna close. The two silently agreed to check on their son and wake him if he appeared to be having a nightmare.

Bowen suddenly jerked into an upright sitting position, screaming, "DAD!"

Leanbow turned and saw his son sitting up and shaking violently, as well as trying very hard not to cry. Carefully untangling himself from Udonna's grasp, Leanbow went over to his trembling son. The instant Leanbow had wrapped his arms around his son, Bowen began clinging to his father and crying hysterically.

"Shh, shh, Bowen. It's alright, it's alright," Leanbow began soothing his son as Udonna stirred and saw her husband gently cradling their son.

She walked over and heard Bowen sobbing out, "I almost killed you, Dad. And then you did die."

Leanbow murmured, "It wasn't your fault. The Master was more powerful than either of us had anticipated."

Bowen nodded and Udonna sat next to her husband and son. She began humming a lullaby that she used to sing when her son was still a baby and Bowen began to drift off to sleep.

After tucking Bowen back into bed, Leanbow kissed his wife and asked, "How did you know?" he asked.

Udonna smirked and said, "It's a mom thing."

He groaned and she kissed him and said, "Let's get to bed. We still have a lot of traveling to go."

Leanbow nodded agreeably and the two joined their son in dreamland.


	4. Don't Leave Me!

_Chapter 4: Don't Leave Me!_

Leanbow woke up before his wife and shook her shoulder. Udonna stirred and asked, "Whatisit?"

He smiled at her and murmured, "I'm going to get some firewood."

She nodded and climbed out of bed and began getting ready to fix breakfast.

Bowen was still asleep, Leanbow observed relieved, especially after last night's nightmare.

Bowen woke up a few minutes after Leanbow had gone to gather firewood and saw only his mother. "Mom?" he asked.

"Bowen, you're up," Udonna smiled at her son.

"Where's Dad?" he pressed.

"He's gathering firewood. He'll be back soon," Udonna reassured her son.

Bowen nodded and stared in the direction of the forest, where Leanbow had gone.

Leanbow entered the clearing and Udonna swiftly took the firewood from him. "Brace yourself," she advised.

Leanbow blinked as his son launched himself into his arms. "Don't leave me," Bowen sobbed.

"I'm not leaving you—or your mother—ever again," Leanbow vowed, tightening his grip on his son.

Udonna glanced at her husband and son. Bowen nodded reluctantly and murmured, "Promise?"

Leanbow nodded. As they ate, Leanbow glanced at his son. "Why are you so scared that I'd ever leave you?" he asked, watching his son's face.

"Because you did leave me," Bowen murmured. "You both left me."

Udonna reached out and rubbed his cheek. "Oh, Bowen, we never meant for this to happen," she murmured. "I would have been thrilled for an opportunity to have raised you."

Leanbow murmured, "Your mother's right. We would have raised you. We _wanted_ to raise you. I didn't really want to try to seal the Master away forever—I wanted to stay with you and your mother, but most of the attacks were centered on destroying our family. I wanted to hurt the Darkness like it had hurt us."

Bowen nodded and the family hugged.


	5. Fear

_Chapter 5: Fear_

_Could it have only been a few hours ago?_ Bowen wondered to himself, as he sat at the main table—at his real home, the home he should spent the past nineteen years sharing with his mother, Udonna the White Sorceress, and cousin, Clare the Gatekeeper—in front of the red phoenix and stared silently at it. _A few hours ago that he had almost lost his mother—forever._

He chose to stay behind at Rootcore, to make himself calm down, to reassure himself that his mother was really back home, but mainly to be closer to his mother, while everyone else returned home. He vaguely recalled hearing Madison and Vida telling Leelee not to argue with them because she was spending the night at their house tonight.

He heard footsteps, but didn't move. "Bowen?" Udonna asked.

His head snapped up and he turned to face her, to face his mother. Worriedly, she sat next to him and asked, "Is everything OK?"

He shrugged, unsure of how to answer. She rubbed his shoulder and murmured, "You're more than welcome to stay here for dinner, Bowen, as well as spend the night. I'm fine with whatever you decide."

Bowen paused and blurted out, "Yeah, I think I will stay here tonight."

Udonna smiled and asked, "Would you like to help me prepare dinner?"

He nodded and mother and son entered the kitchen. As they fixed dinner, Udonna carefully watched her son out of the corner of her eye. His words from earlier hadn't stopped revolving in her brain. _I thought I'd never see you again._ After they finished preparing dinner, Udonna walked over and touched his shoulder, as she realized that he was crying—there weren't any onions in this meal, so he couldn't blame it on those. "Bowen, honey, what's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

He turned and buried his face in her shirt and cried harder. She rubbed his back and murmured, "It's OK. I've got you. Shh. Don't cry. Shh."

Bowen clung to her and sniffled and sobbed out, "I almost lost you, Mommy."

Udonna tightened her grip on her son and knew she'd have to stay at Rootcore this time to find her husband. Bowen was too scared of losing her—Leanbow leaving them again had left its scars and Bowen couldn't lose either parent again.

That night, Udonna carefully led her half-asleep son up the stairs to his room, as Daggeron followed to make sure Bowen didn't fall down the stairs. She managed to get him into bed and then carefully tucked him in. "Sleep well, Bowen," she whispered, before kissing his forehead.

A few hours later, Udonna blinked when she heard the crying that was clearly coming from her son's room. She hurried to his side and shook his shoulder. "Mommy?" Bowen asked, reaching sleepily up for her.

"I'm here. I'm here," Udonna whispered, softly, wrapping her arms around her son, carefully getting him into a sitting position.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I almost lost you. And I was really scared," he sobbed out, clinging to her.

She rubbed his back and slowly calmed him down. Udonna eventually decided to spend the night, watching over her son, making sure he didn't have any more nightmares.


	6. Birthdays

_Chapter 6: Birthdays_

Udonna touched Leanbow's hand and murmured, "Bowen will be twenty in a couple days."

Leanbow smiled and whispered, "What should we get him?"

"Well, his motorcycle has been costing him a lot of money to get fixed—more than it's worth. Why don't we get him a new bike?" she whispered back.

Leanbow nodded and the two carefully planned getting their son his new bike.

Two days later, they carefully put their plan into motion. When Bowen woke up, he stretched and sleepily shuffled over to his parents. "Morning," he mumbled.

"Morning, birthday boy," Leanbow said, ruffling Bowen's hair.

"Wha'?" he asked, still feeling slightly asleep.

"Today is your birthday, Bowen," Udonna leaned over and kissed his forehead. "Or at least, your actual birthday—I'm not sure if your adoptive parents were ever to figure out precisely when you were born."

Bowen grinned and asked, "Dad, later, could we play catch? Please?"

"Sure," Leanbow grinned in response, eager for an opportunity for some normalcy and to get to know his son better.

"Don't wander too far, you two," Udonna warned. "I don't want to have to hunt either of you down when we have to go."

They both nodded in agreement.

After breakfast, father and son were standing a few feet away from the tent that Leanbow had somehow managed to build the evening before and began tossing a small tennis ball back and forth.

"So, why catch?" Leanbow asked.

"Most kids play catch with their dads when they're little," Bowen explained. "I played catch with my adoptive father—at least, when he and my adoptive mother were stationed in the United States."

Leanbow nodded and continued to play catch with his son. "What do you mean—'at least, when he and my adoptive mother were stationed in the United States?'" Leanbow asked.

"Um, they're both in the military," Bowen answered, shakily.

Leanbow set the tennis ball aside and walked over to his son and hugged him firmly. "Having a loved one in any type of armed force is difficult. You and your mother—of all people—know that far too well," Leanbow whispered, holding his son tightly.

Eventually Udonna called, "Leanbow! Bowen! Time to go!"

The two joined Udonna and she nodded to Leanbow who disappeared into the forest and returned pushing a brand new Harley Davidson Motorcycle.

Bowen stared at it and then up at his parents. "Thank you!" he threw his arms around Udonna's neck and then hugged Leanbow.

The two smiled at their son and Udonna murmured, "Happy birthday, Bowen."

He grinned happily at his parents and the three set off for Bowen's adoptive parents' house.


	7. Letters

_Chapter 7: Letters_

"Come on, Daggeron, you can tell us what this meeting is about," Chip begged his mentor.

"I'm in the dark as much as you are as to what this meeting is about," Daggeron confessed.

Turning to Fireheart, he called, "Come on, Fireheart. Come and get your oats."

He threw the bag of oats into Fireheart's den and walked over to the group as the entire bag was roasted. "He likes his oats toasted," Daggeron informed the group.

They all laughed.

Udonna came downstairs. "I'm glad you could all make it," she began.

"Is everything alright?" Madison asked.

"Yes, and no," Udonna answered.

"Clare, you've been a wonderful apprentice. You will make a great sorceress someday," Udonna complimented her niece. Clare blushed in response.

"Daggeron, I am so grateful that you have come back into my life," Udonna smiled at her close friend, who nodded, grateful for the compliment, but not understanding what was going on.

"Vida, Xander, Madison, Chip, you have far exceeded any expectations I had when we began this journey," Udonna smiled at the four rangers she mentioned.

She walked over to Nick. "Bowen… Nick… My son… You have grown into the man I had always hoped you would be," she smiled proudly at her teenage son.

Bowen frowned and asked, "What's going on? You're leaving, aren't you?" A flash of pain hit him—he didn't want her to go. Yeah, he wanted his father home, but he didn't want his mother to leave him.

"Yes, I am. Somewhere out there is my husband, Leanbow," Udonna replied. "I'm going to find him—and bring him home."

"We'll go with you," Vida volunteered.

Bowen agreed—he didn't want to lose his mother—not after finally being reunited with her. He wanted to be with her—besides she needed to someone to protect her. Leanbow wasn't with her and what if something bad happened to her? What if… Bowen gave his head a very unnoticeable shake to clear his head of any and all thoughts of harm coming to his mother. He couldn't think like that. She was a strong woman. She'd be fine. She'd find Leanbow and they'd come home and they'd be a normal family again.

"No, you're needed here. This is something I must do alone," Udonna declared, leaving the room.

That evening, Nick shuffled into his sister's apartment dejectedly. "Hey, sis," he waved half-heartedly.

"Hey," she began. Then she frowned.

"Nick, what's wrong?" she demanded.

"Don't wanna talk 'bout it," he mumbled.

She nodded. "How does pizza sound?" she asked.

"Don't want pizza," Nick mumbled again.

"Not even Digiorno's?" she asked.

"I guess I'll have a slice," he mumbled.

He was quiet that evening as they ate. His sister watched his face. Finally, he confessed. "Remember how I told you about my birth parents?"

She nodded. "Mom left to find Leanbow—and she can't protect herself. She lost her powers saving me and the rest of my friends," Bowen slumped his head against the table and sniffled.

"Go to bed. I'll finish up in here, OK?" she ordered. He nodded and left the room.

He shuffled into his room and collapsed into bed. He grabbed his baby blanket and curled up, clutching it to his chest. It crinkled. He frowned and unfolded it and found a small envelope with one word written on it. _Bowen_.

He smiled—Udonna had left this letter for him. It was as if she had _known_ that he would be upset and would need some comfort.

He opened the letter and began to read.

"_Bowen, Nick, my son, my little boy, I know you're probably upset that I've gone to get your father and I didn't take anyone with me. There is actually a perfectly good explanation. I didn't dare take Madison, Vida, Chip, and Xander, because the four of them are the warriors foretold in legend who would help the Light vanquish the Darkness. I needed Daggeron to stay behind so that I could ensure that the five of you are able to defend ourselves against the next enemy the Darkness throws at you, especially if it's the Ten Terrors—if you want to do any research on them, there's a book on them on the second shelf of the bookcase, and it is the third one from the right—during the Great War, I spent as much as time as I could doing research to help the other Mystics, but especially Leanbow. I didn't take Clare, because I wanted her to try teaching you some of what I have taught her—I know she is only an apprentice—but remember, half of your magic came from me and I can no longer demonstrate spells for you, but Clare can. Now, as to why I didn't take you. A big reason is that you are the Light—the greatest wizard of them all—and the Darkness would—will—stop at nothing to kill you. I'm not going to risk losing you—especially after just getting you back again. You are very important to me. I will do everything that I can to protect you, even if it means that I have to leave you alone. I slipped this note into your baby blanket because I knew you would need it for the next few weeks while I'm away—I plan to find Leanbow and come home as soon as possible. Now, be a good boy and go to sleep. I love you very much and hopefully the next time I see you, I'll have Leanbow with me and our family will be whole—or as whole as it can be without Auntie Niella around anymore—again. Love, Mom. P.S. If you need a lullaby, I believe the lullaby I used to sing to you when you were a baby is in a Disney movie—I believe it is called Tarzan. If you have the soundtrack or another CD that might have it, go and listen to it—just pretend that it's me singing. Sleep well, son."_

Bowen padded out onto the balcony and stared up at the stars. "I love you, too, Mom," he whispered. He and his sister used to do this when they were younger—his father had told him that the stars are the same no matter where you were and they would whisper that they loved their parents into the heavens and their parents would whisper their love for their children into the heavens as well.

After shuffling inside, he then pawed through his CDS—there was a lot of rock, pop, and other teen style music, but he also had one particular CD from a Disney movie—and that was Tarzan. He grabbed his Walkman and popped the CD in. He plugged his headphones in and hit play, skipping through till he reached his favorite song—_No wonder this is my favorite song—it used to be my lullaby,_ he thought to himself.

As he listened to the song—he was careful to put it on repeat—he grabbed his baby blanket. He also wondered, _I wonder if I can somehow convince Mom to sing this for me—again—sometime after she and Leanbow get home._ He listened to it until he began to cry. As the tears slid down his face, he began to sing.

"_Come, stop your crying. It will be alright. Just take my hand. Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. 'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now and forevermore. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but deep inside us we're not that different at all. And you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now and forevermore. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Don't listen to them 'cause what do they know? We need each to have to hold. They'll see in time, I know. When destiny calls you, you've got to be strong. I may not be with you so you got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together 'cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, now and forevermore. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart always. Always… I'll be there for you. I'll be there for you always, always, and always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. I'll be there, always."_

When Bowen woke up the next morning, he noticed his music player was on his desk with a note taped to it. He swiftly read the note. _"You were asleep and the batteries died. Don't forget to replace them later. Liz."_ He nodded and quickly ate breakfast, making sure to hide the note from his mother under his pillow. He'd reread it tonight—in fact, he decided he would reread it every night until Udonna and Leanbow finally came home.


	8. Please Don't Go

_Chapter 8: Please Don't Go_

"Come on, Daggeron, you can tell us what this meeting is about," Chip begged his mentor.

"I'm in the dark as much as you are as to what this meeting is about," Daggeron confessed.

Turning to Fireheart, he called, "Come on, Fireheart. Come and get your oats."

He threw the bag of oats into Fireheart's den and walked over to the group as the entire bag was roasted. "He likes his oats toasted," Daggeron informed the group.

They all laughed.

Udonna came downstairs. "I'm glad you could all make it," she began.

"Is everything alright?" Madison asked.

"Yes, and no," Udonna answered.

"Clare, you've been a wonderful apprentice. You will make a great sorceress someday," Udonna complimented her niece. Clare blushed in response.

"Daggeron, I am so grateful that you have come back into my life," Udonna smiled at her close friend, who nodded, grateful for the compliment, but not understanding what was going on.

"Vida, Xander, Madison, Chip, you have far exceeded any expectations I had when we began this journey," Udonna smiled at the four rangers she mentioned.

She walked over to Nick. "Bowen… Nick… My son… You have grown into the man I had always hoped you would be," she smiled proudly at her teenage son.

Bowen frowned and asked, "What's going on? You're leaving, aren't you?" A flash of pain hit him—he didn't want her to go. Yeah, he wanted his father home, but he didn't want his mother to leave him.

"Yes, I am. Somewhere out there is my husband, Leanbow," Udonna replied. "I'm going to find him—and bring him home."

"We'll go with you," Vida volunteered.

Bowen agreed—he didn't want to lose his mother—not after finally being reunited with her. He wanted to be with her—besides she needed to someone to protect her. Leanbow wasn't with her and what if something bad happened to her? What if… Bowen gave his head a very unnoticeable shake to clear his head of any and all thoughts of harm coming to his mother. He couldn't think like that. She was a strong woman. She'd be fine. She'd find Leanbow and they'd come home and they'd be a normal family again.

"No, you're needed here. This is something I must do alone," Udonna declared, leaving the room.

Bowen glanced at the others and then cautiously followed Udonna. "Mom?" he called uncertainly.

Udonna turned and walked over to Bowen. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Don't go," he begged.

"Bowen, I have to," Udonna replied.

"But, Mom," he protested.

"Leanbow is still out there—if I don't find him, the Darkness could take him away again," Udonna added, worriedly.

"But I don't want to lose you, either," Bowen added, reaching toward her.

Udonna wrapped her arms around Bowen and carefully helped him sit down. "Shh, shh, my little one," she rocked him gently.

Bowen buried his face in her shirt and began to cry. Udonna tilted his face upwards and wiped away his tears. "I'll be back as soon as I can, I promise," Udonna whispered gently.

"But I still don't want you to go," Bowen pouted.

Udonna hugged her son and said, "How about this? If you're extra good for Daggeron, when Leanbow and I get home, I will spend the entire day after with you. How's that?"

Bowen looked thoughtful and then nodded in agreement. "But you be careful, Mom," he insisted.

"I will. I love you, son," Udonna kissed his forehead.

"I love you, too, Mom," Bowen clung to her for as long as possible.


	9. Pals

_Chapter 9: Pals_

Leanbow carefully helped Bowen home. Udonna anxiously followed behind. Daggeron and Clare were several feet behind the family. As they walked, Bowen yawned, slightly. He was emotionally and physically exhausted. Leanbow glanced at his slowing—practically sleepwalking—son and then picked him up. "Up you go," he carefully held the teen, who yawned again and slowly fell asleep.

Udonna move closer to them and the two parents walked in silence. They entered Rootcore and Udonna agreed to let Leanbow get their son into bed. "Dad?" Bowen asked, stirring slightly.

"Yes?" Leanbow replied.

"We're pals, right?" Bowen asked.

Leanbow ruffled his hair and said, "Right."

"And we'll always be together, right?" Bowen pressed.

Leanbow sat on the edge of his son's bed. "I'm not going to make you a promise that I can't keep," he began.

Bowen peered up at his father and Leanbow continued, "I won't always be with you, physically, but I'll always be with you…"

Leanbow pressed his hand over Bowen's heart, finishing, "In here."

"I don't understand, Dad," Bowen asked.

"Once you love someone, they stay with you—in your heart forever," Leanbow replied. "You'll understand someday."

Bowen nodded and Leanbow ordered, "You've had a long day. Get some rest."

Bowen nodded again and slowly drifted back to sleep. Leanbow smiled at his sleeping son, and carefully tucked him in, before slipping out of the room—he wanted his son to get that much needed rest he deserved.


	10. Day 1 With Nick's Adoptive Parents

_Chapter 10: Day 1 With Nick's Adoptive Parents_

When they finally arrived at his adoptive parents' house, Nick led his parents to the front door. He knocked, nervously. Five minutes later, he knocked again. "Patience, Bowen," Udonna ordered. "I'm sure they're coming."

Nick nodded and said, "I'm just really nervous, Mom."

The door opened and Nick's adoptive father, Henry, automatically, said, "I'm sorry. Whatever you're selling, we're not interested."

Nick shoved his foot into the door and said, "Father! I'm not selling anything!"

"Nick? What are you doing here? And who are they?" Henry demanded, glancing at Udonna and Leanbow.

"We're visiting," Leanbow replied.

"Can we come in?" Nick asked.

Henry nodded and Nick's adoptive mother, Cecilia, swiftly hugged him—a rare breakaway from the stiff and formal persona he'd known for most of his life. "Mother, you're embarrassing me!" Nick groaned, desperately wishing this wasn't happening.

"So who are they?" Henry asked, again.

"These are my birth parents, Udonna and Leanbow," Nick replied—now it felt strange calling them Udonna and Leanbow—it must be something to do with being their long-lost son—before he was fine with calling them Udonna and Leanbow.

"Nice to meet you," Nick's adoptive parents were—as always—stiff and formal and, as a result, Nick, from an early age, always addressed them as Mother and Father—not Mom and Dad or Mommy and Daddy or Mama and Dada—those last three had always been and always will be Udonna and Leanbow.

The family talked and Udonna and Nick explained the past year to his adoptive parents, as Leanbow silently listened.

Then Leanbow wrapped one arm around Nick's shoulders and said, "Thank you, for raising our son. Not many would take in a child that just appeared on their front step, especially one that appeared seemingly out of nowhere."

Henry and Cecilia nodded and Henry added, "You're welcome."

Then Udonna asked, "What was Nick like when he was a little boy?"

Nick groaned—this was not what he wanted to discuss his first day back. "Can't the little Nick stories wait, Mom?" he begged, Udonna.

She kissed his forehead and Leanbow said, "I personally want to know what your childhood was like."

Nick sulked slightly and Cecilia murmured, "I see you're still a tad dramatic, Nick."

"I am _not_ dramatic," Nick huffed dramatically.

Leanbow grinned and, pointing to Udonna, said, "He got it from her."

Udonna elbowed her husband and Nick grinned.

"Well, there was this one time, when he was five," Henry began.

"Are you telling that story?" Nick grinned, slightly—he liked this particular story better than most of them, but it still wasn't something he wanted to discuss just yet.

Cecilia picked up the story and continued. "We thought we were in New York City, just for the weekend, and Nick managed to disappear."

Udonna glanced at her son, worriedly—he'd gotten lost in New York City? She may not have been there, but she knew how big it was.

"So, we start looking for him," Cecilia continued. "We find him, on stage, in the middle of a performance of _Les Mis__érables_, as Gavroche. We ended up staying in New York for the rest of that year and most of the following year—and Nick was exhausted when we finally came home. He spent the next two weeks after coming home, randomly quoting the show."

"Who?" Leanbow asked.

"The little boy," Nick added. "The title means—"The Miserables"—it's depressing. Everyone dies, Mom, except for Cosette and Marius Pontmercy. Although, the directors did say that if I was older, they would have had me as Enjolras—he was the leader of the revolution—who also dies during the same battle as Gavroche—so I think I got that leadership tendency from you, Dad."

Leanbow and Udonna nodded and Cecilia added, "From that day on, Nick fell in love with acting and being on stage. Of course, you never did tell us, what was your favorite scene?"

Nick looked thoughtfully up at Udonna and Leanbow, and then answered, "When you first meet Gavroche and then _Little People_."

Leanbow glanced at Udonna, who shrugged, and Nick grinned up at his dad. Leanbow then asked, "How do they go?"

Nick grimaced and Cecilia nodded in agreement. "Father?" Nick asked.

Udonna murmured, "Go on, Bowen."

He bit his lip and began, thinking **don't let her freak. Please, keep Udonna calm.** _"How do you do? My name's Gavroche. These are my people, here's my patch. Not much to look at, nothing posh. Nothing that you'd call up to scratch. This is my school, my high society. Here in the slums of Saint Michele, we live on the crumbs of humble piety. Tough on the teeth, but what the hell? Think you're poor? Think you're free? Follow me. Follow me!"_

Then he started his other favorite scene—_Little People_. _"Liar! Good evening, dear Inspector! Lovely evening, my dear! I know this man, my friends—his name's Inspector Javert! So don't believe a word he says 'cause none of it's true! This only goes to show what little people can do! And little people know when little people fight—we may look easy pickings, but we've got some bite! So never kick a dog because he's just a pup! We'll fight like twenty armies and we won't give up! So you better run for cover when the pup grows up!"_

Udonna glanced at her son and Leanbow grinned, ruffling his son's hair. "So, besides his little escapade on Broadway, what else happened?" Udonna asked.

Nick groaned and whined, "Mom."

Leanbow nodded in agreement. "He wasn't too much of a troublemaker, was he?" Leanbow asked, remembering how much mischief he and his wife had gotten into as children.

Nick begged, "Can we watch a movie instead?"

"What movie?" Cecilia asked.

"Stars Wars!" Nick said, jumping off the couch and running to get the trilogy set.

Udonna and Leanbow looked at each other and Udonna asked, "What is this movie?"

"Not one movie, three," Nick began. "You've never seen this before, have you?"

They both shook their heads and Nick begged, "Please, Mom, please, please, please, can we watch all three?"

"What are the titles anyway?" Leanbow wanted to know.

"Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi," Nick replied.

"There were some prequels made, but we never got them, because _someone_ *cough*Nick*cough* didn't like them," Henry added.

"Father, we've discussed this. They weren't as high quality as the original trilogy set," Nick added, griping slightly.

Cecilia added, "He dressed up as Luke Skywalker for Halloween, one year."

"That was awesome!" Nick interjected, before Udonna or Leanbow could say anything.

"That was also the year he got a toy lightsaber for his birthday," Henry added.

"Those are the swords in this series," Nick clarified, as he finished getting the VCR set up and popped in the first Star Wars movie.

Nick's adoptive parents left the room and the three members of Nick's birth family all watched the movies.

After it was finished, Nick asked, "Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, Bowen?" Leanbow asked.

"You know, our family is like the Skywalker family," Nick commented.

"What?" Udonna asked.

"Koragg was Darth Vader. Leanbow is Anakin Skywalker—if he had lived. And I am Luke Skywalker," Nick explained.

Leanbow grinned and added, "At least, I didn't ever chop off your arm."

Nick nodded in agreement. "What about me?" Udonna huffed.

"Um, your character—Padmé Amidala—kinda dies when Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia—I guess she'd be equivalent to Clare—are born," Nick admitted, sheepishly. "That's why Anakin becomes Darth Vader."

Udonna nodded and Henry and Cecilia rejoined the small family. "Can I be excused?" Nick asked.

"I don't know, can you?" Henry replied.

"May I be excused, Father?" Nick corrected himself, feeling slightly annoyed.

Henry nodded and Nick scampered out the back door. "He's going to "his" tree house—it's the family tree house, but Nick used it the most often," Henry murmured.

Leanbow and Udonna nodded and the two listened to every story from Nick's childhood.

Later, Leanbow hunted down his son and found the teen fast asleep inside the tree house.

"Come on, Bowen, wake up," he shook Nick's shoulder.

Nick stirred and whipped out his old toy lightsaber. Leanbow jumped back and held up his hands in surrender. Nick rubbed his eyes and said, "Oh, hi, Dad."

"Hello to you, too," Leanbow replied. "Now will you please stop pointing that at me?"

Nick set the lightsaber aside and reached up for Leanbow. "ItiredDa," he mumbled, meaning, "I'm tired, Dad." Understanding Bowen's mumbled gibberish, Leanbow carefully picked up his son and carried him back inside the house. Nick closed his eyes and pressed his head against Leanbow's shoulder and drifted back to sleep. Udonna smiled and Nick, stirred slightly and smiled at her, before burying his face against Leanbow's shoulder. The two carefully began helping the teen get ready for bed, before he passed out on the floor.

"I'm so proud of our son," Udonna whispered, as the two carefully put Nick to bed—in his old bed. Udonna had asked Cecilia and Henry for this small right—in her eyes—privilege—to put their son to bed. They had missed so much of their young son's life that they wanted to spend as much time getting to know him as possible.

"He was a good kid," Leanbow added.

"I guess we did influence him—despite the fact he didn't really remember us," Udonna added.

Leanbow nodded and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"He always got into those fights against the school—and class—bullies, because it wasn't fair nor was it honorable for them to pick on the younger kids—or the loners, like our little boy," Udonna kissed Nick's forehead gently, as she and Leanbow tucked the teen into bed.

Leanbow smiled at his son and said, "He clearly took after me, didn't he?"

Udonna nodded in agreement. The two slipped out of the room and went down the hall, and entered the guest room that was a few doors down from Nick's room. The two collapsed into bed and soon fell asleep—Leanbow wrapped his arms around Udonna's waist and held her against himself.


	11. A Rough Night

_Chapter 11: A Rough Night_

That night, Nick opened his eyes at the sound of a racket, coming from downstairs. He squeezed his eyes shut—and sighed—his adoptive parents were fighting again.

"Why would you let these complete strangers—who probably really aren't his parents anyway—tuck our son—our Nick—into bed?!" Henry yelled at Cecilia.

"How else do you explain why they're so concerned about him?!" she yelled back.

"Even if they are his parents—which they aren't—we are—they are only doing it so he'll go away with them!" Henry yelled.

He shuffled out of bed and shuffled toward Udonna and Leanbow's room.

"Mom?" Nick shook Udonna's shoulder. Udonna and Leanbow both woke up.

"What's wrong, Bowen?" Udonna asked.

"I can't sleep. Can I stay here?" Nick asked.

Udonna glanced at Leanbow, who nodded.

Nick scrambled into his parents' arms.

Then Leanbow heard Henry yelling, "They probably made it up that they're his parents!"

He growled and asked, "Is that racket downstairs what woke you, son?"

Nick nodded.

"They don't seem like the type to make something that important—especially to Nick—up!" Cecilia yelled back.

Udonna wrapped her arms around Nick and glanced at Leanbow. "No," she told her husband. Nick curled up and buried his face against her nightgown. She rocked the teen gently, as he closed his eyes and sought the comfort she provided and symbolized for him.

Leanbow nodded and moved closer to his small family.

"But then why didn't they ever look for him!" Henry yelled.

"They wanted to protect him! Or weren't you listening to Udonna earlier!" Cecilia snapped.

"She was lying!" Henry hissed.

Leanbow pulled away from his wife and son. "Leanbow," Udonna began.

"No one calls you a liar and gets away with it, love," he growled, before he began heading down the stairs towards the fighting couple.

Nick curled further into Udonna's arms and begged, "Can we go home tomorrow?"

"Are you sure you want to go back to Briarwood?" she asked.

Nick shrugged and Udonna asked, "Is there anywhere you want to visit here before we leave?"

"The park," he sleepily suggested.

The two listened as Leanbow stalked down the stairs. "Udonna is _not_ a liar," he hissed at Henry. "You're just jealous of the fact that Nick has finally found us. Nick has spent the past twenty years wondering about my wife and I—she spent the past twenty years believing the two of us to be dead! I had no memories of either of them for the past twenty years! And if you ever call my wife a liar again, you _will_ regret it." Leanbow punched the wall above Henry's head and then rejoined his small family upstairs, wrapping his arms around the two people that made up his family.

Nick ended up spending the night with his parents, because he was afraid that Henry would try to take him away from Udonna and Leanbow.


	12. Proof

_Chapter 12: Proof_

The next morning, Nick opened his eyes as he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder. "Rise and shine, Bowen," Leanbow murmured gently.

Nick rolled over and said, "Five more minutes, Mama."

Leanbow blinked and asked, "Do I really sound like your mother?"

Nick grabbed the pillow and sleepily threw it at Leanbow. "Udonna, a little help here!" Leanbow called.

Udonna came upstairs and said, "Leanbow—is Bowen up yet?"

"No," Leanbow replied.

Udonna smiled and said, "Bowen, Cecilia and I going to make chocolate chip pancakes."

Nick shifted slightly and asked, "With strawberries, Mama?"

Udonna smiled, gently at her son, and added, "With strawberries, too."

Then Nick sat up and said, "I'm up. I want a dozen pancakes, too, Mama. Oh, hey, Dad."

"Do I really sound like your mother?!" Leanbow repeated, slightly annoyed.

Nick blinked and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I was trying to get you up and you said, 'Five more minutes, Mama,'" Leanbow told his son.

"My Mother usually got me up in the morning, and I just assumed Mom was going to get me up," Nick told Leanbow.

"Well, it'll be either one of us," Leanbow told his son. Nick nodded silently.

Nick got dressed and then followed Leanbow downstairs. "So, ready for the movies, Nick?" Henry asked.

Nick blinked and said, "I'm going to the park with Mom and Dad, Father."

"No, you're coming to the movies with Cecilia and me," Henry corrected the teen.

"Mama?" Nick looked at Udonna fearfully—he wanted to spend time with her and Leanbow. Yeah, he hadn't seen Henry and Cecilia in over a year, but he hadn't seen Udonna and Leanbow in twenty years and he had missed them—he had curled up with his baby blanket and would wonder what they were like, especially at night, during storms, and on Mother's Day and Father's Day.

Udonna glanced at Leanbow and then said, "Let Nick decide which set of parents he wants to spend time with. He's old enough to make his own decisions."

Cecilia nodded in agreement and then motioned to Udonna to join her in the kitchen. Henry scowled and muttered, "Not his parents."

Leanbow kicked Henry's chair and hissed, "What was that? I didn't quite hear you. I think you should repeat yourself."

"You and Udonna are not Nick's parents," Henry challenged.

Nick stared at Henry and then sprang from the table and ran out of the room, almost in tears, tripping over the chair in his haste to leave the room.

Udonna entered the room and watched as her son ran off. "Bowen?" she called. Leanbow sprang to his feet and glared at Henry.

"You hurt my son," Leanbow growled.

"You can't claim you're his parents, when you abandoned him, and never came back for him," Henry hissed back at Leanbow.

Udonna flinched and Leanbow whispered, "Go after Bowen."

Udonna nodded and went off in search of her son. Meanwhile, Leanbow bent over Henry and hissed, "Udonna and I did not abandon Bowen. We gave him up—because we loved him too much to let him die or get killed! And Udonna and I had made my friend—Daggeron—to whom we entrusted the task of getting Bowen to safety—give us his word of honor not to tell us where he had taken our son, so we couldn't go after him until it was safe! Bowen is like me and I don't think he'll be so willing to forgive you. Nor will I."

With that, Leanbow stalked off in search of his wife and son.

As she headed up the stairs, Udonna heard crying coming from Nick's room. "Bowen?" she knocked.

Nick shuffled over to the door and opened it. "Mama," he sniffled.

Udonna wrapped her arms around the teen and helped him over to the bed where the two sat down. "How… could… he… say… that?" Nick choked out. "He… knew… that… I…. was… going… to… look…" Nick began to cry harder and Udonna rubbed his back gently.

"You were planning to try to find Leanbow and I?" Udonna asked.

Nick nodded. "I… was… right… that… you'd… recognize… my… baby… blanket," he sobbed out as he climbed onto her lap, and buried his face against her shirt.

Udonna smiled gently at her son. Leanbow entered the room as Nick choked out something about Udonna recognizing his baby blanket. He walked over to his wife and son and sat down next to Udonna. "What happened, Leanbow?" Udonna asked, over Nick's head.

"I yelled at Henry, and I think it might be best if the three of us stay in a hotel, until we go back to Briarwood," Leanbow replied.

Nick shifted and moved closer to Leanbow.

Cecilia came upstairs and said, "Nick, I need to talk to Udonna and Leanbow. Alone."

He nodded and Udonna and Leanbow stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. "What is it, Cecilia?" Udonna asked.

"Henry isn't going to accept that the two of you are Nick's parents, without proof," Cecilia murmured.

"What kind of proof?" Udonna asked—Nick's baby blanket was back in Briarwood with Madison.

"Genetic," Cecilia replied.

Udonna stared at Leanbow and he asked, "How soon can we get this test done?"

"We'll all go to the base—we can get the results faster there," she told the two.

Udonna and Leanbow nodded and Udonna went back and got Nick, leading him out of his room.

The families climbed into the car together—Nick squished himself in between Udonna and Leanbow in the backseat, being careful not to make eye contact with Henry.

The test was quickly set up and completed—both couples agreed that the couple whose DNA results matched Nick's the most from the genetic tests were Nick's parents and the other couple would not intervene in their relationship nor would the other couple attempt to take Nick away from his parents.

Nick swung his legs back and forth and watched each set of parents let Dr. Anders take a small DNA sample. A half hour later, they had the results. Udonna, Leanbow, Henry, and Cecilia leaned over and stared at the screen that had the results. "Leanbow and Udonna are Nick's parents," Dr. Anders coolly told Henry.

Nick leapt up and ran into Udonna and Leanbow's waiting embrace, burrowing into their familiar embraces, clinging to each of his parents. Udonna rubbed his back as Leanbow watched Henry, who blinked as Leanbow and Udonna both gently hugged the teen and calmed him down and just held the teen as he clung to them. "Mama, Daddy," Nick sobbed out, clinging to Udonna and Leanbow.

"Shh, Bowen, shh, shh," Udonna whispered gently in her son's ear.

"We're not going anywhere, Bowen," Leanbow whispered.

"They really are his parents," Henry whispered to himself. Cecilia nodded in agreement and smiled—Nick had finally found where he truly belonged—he belonged with Udonna and Leanbow in Briarwood—not to mention his "girlfriend" Madison.

"Don't even think about suggesting the military for Nick," she whispered.

"Are you nuts?" he hissed back. "There is no way I'm letting him go. Neither will Udonna or Leanbow."

"Neither will Udonna and I what?" Leanbow asked. "Sorry, I heard my name."

"Let Nick join the military," Henry replied.

"Only if it was what he truly wanted," Leanbow said coolly, "especially after he finished his training to be a knight of the Mystic Realm, like Daggeron and myself—we won't keep him from reaching his dreams, but we'd make him promise to be careful. And he—and Udonna—know how stressful having a relative in the armed forces is."

Henry nodded and said, "Let's get back to the house."

The two families returned to the house and Udonna glanced at the clock. "We'll go to the park, after we've all eaten something," she said, calmly.

They all nodded and finally ate breakfast as well as some lunch. Then Udonna, Nick, and Leanbow set off for the park. Tomorrow, the two families were going out to the movies. Then Udonna, Nick, and Leanbow would travel the world and get to know each other—and rebuild their family. Meanwhile, Henry and Cecilia were calling the movie theater to find out what movies were playing and when—Nick would pick the movie they'd go see, like always, as well as when they went.


	13. The Park

_Chapter 13: The Park_

The little family arrived at the park and Nick led his parents over to one of the basketball courts. Udonna smiled as Nick asked, "Hey, Dad, wanna play some one-on-one basketball?"

"You're on," Leanbow quickly and eagerly accepted his teenage son's challenge.

She kissed Leanbow gently and then smiled, "Good luck to both of you."

"Mom, will you make sure we don't hurt each other, too badly?" Nick asked.

Udonna nodded and carefully watched her husband and son race back and forth across the court.

Nick and Leanbow raced back and forth across the court for almost five hours when Nick finally made a basket. Nick looked at his father and said, "Good job, Dad."

"Thank you, son," Leanbow ruffled his hair.

Nick grinned sheepishly and Udonna murmured, "It's time we headed back to the house, you two troublemakers." Then she turned and walked off.

Nick turned and looked at Leanbow. "Did she just…" he asked.

Leanbow stared after his wife and then took off after her. Nick followed his parents and caught up to them, as Leanbow caught Udonna and hissed in her ear, "I wouldn't be talking, if I were you, Udonna. Bowen got his troublemaking habits from you." He snickered and then kissed her.

Nick grinned at his parents as Udonna blushed furiously and scowled at her inability to come up with a witty retort. Then he realized, _after twenty-something years of marriage, my parents are still flirting with each other. Gross!_

"Come on. Let's go," Nick said, as he led the way to the bikes and the family returned to the house.

"How was the trip to the park?" Cecilia asked, after the trio returned to the house.

"It was fun," Udonna replied.

"Long," Nick and Leanbow chorused.

"I don't think I'm going to want to move tomorrow," Leanbow added. "I'm feeling so sore."

Udonna smiled at her husband and the families gathered in the dining room and ate dinner in silence. That night, Nick curled up in his old bed, and Udonna and Leanbow tucked him into bed. Then the two returned to the guestroom and collapsed into bed.

The instant they were gone, Nick pulled out his morpher and called Madison. _"Hey, Maddie."_

"_Nick? How are you?" _Madison asked.

"_I'm great—minus a slight parental issue," _he admitted.

"_What? Did you have a fight with Udonna and Leanbow?" _she asked.

"_No, my adoptive father gave them a hard time about being my parents, and we had to prove that they were my parents,"_ Nick clarified.

"_Whoa. Why?"_ Madison asked.

"_I'm not sure. Dad thinks it's because Father was jealous,"_ Nick admitted.

Udonna entered the room and held out her hand. Nick turned and looked up at her. "Hi, Mom?" he squeaked out.

"_Udonna's up?"_ Madison asked.

"_Yeah, I think I'm in trouble,"_ Nick admitted. _"I'll talk to you later, OK?"_

"_Sure,"_ Madison agreed. _"Bye, Nick."_

"_Bye, Maddie," _Nick hung up the phone and handed Udonna his morpher.

"So, uh, why are you taking away my morpher?" he asked, curiously.

"Technically, you're still grounded, and that includes no cell phone privileges, young man," Udonna murmured.

Nick nodded, sheepishly. Then he asked, "If I use it under parental supervision, can I use my phone?"

She bit her lip and then nodded. "Now, go to bed," she ordered.

Nick nodded and fell asleep.


	14. The Movies

_Chapter 14: The Movies_

The next morning, Nick followed Leanbow and Udonna downstairs. "What movie are we gonna see?" Leanbow asked, automatically.

"This one," Nick pointed to one of the movies.

"Sure," Henry and Cecilia nodded in agreement. The two families sat and watched the movie in silence.

After the movie, Udonna and Leanbow sat in the backseat and Nick spread out across their laps, falling asleep.

Udonna reached out and rubbed his back gently.

Leanbow glanced at Nick and said, "Is this normal?"

Henry glanced at Nick's sleeping form and said, "He always takes a nap after we go to the movies. But this is the first time he's curled up like that."

Udonna smiled at Leanbow and Nick slept peacefully as his parents wrapped one arm around him to hold him from falling on to the floor. The two then tucked Nick into bed in his old bed.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Leanbow carefully told Henry and Cecilia.

"Why?" Cecilia asked.

"We want to take the opportunity to get to know our son again," Udonna replied. "Everything we knew about him was about him as a baby—and very little about our teen son."

The two nodded in silent agreement.


	15. Heights

_Chapter 15: Heights_

Nick stared down at the ground and then tightened his grip on his branch. _Dad?_ He called silently.

Leanbow and Udonna continued searching for their son. "Bowen!" Nick heard his mother's voice.

"Mom! I'm up here!" he yelled down to her.

Udonna stared up at him and said, "Come down."

"I'm scared," Nick called back to her.

"It's OK, son," Udonna reassured him.

"Since when were you afraid of heights?" Leanbow asked.

"Um, ever since you hit the engine on my Mystic Racer and I almost did a nosedive and died," Nick shot back.

Udonna glared at her husband and Leanbow said, "Alright, I'll get you down. Just don't move, OK?"

Nick nodded and Leanbow got his son out of the tree.

"Did you have to bring that up in front of your mother?" Leanbow scowled.

"Karma, Dad, it's called karma," Nick said calmly.

"Basically, if you do something bad, something bad happens to you—like when Leelee accused me of stealing the money from the store—when she opened that can of soda, it exploded all over her leather jacket," he explained.

Leanbow scowled.


	16. Christmas

_Chapter 16: Christmas_

Christmas was coming up. Nick turned to Chip and Vida and said, "I'll let the two of you wake me—on the condition that I get to wake Udonna and Leanbow."

The two exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. Clare had already agreed to let Nick wake his parents on Christmas morning. Fair was fair, after all, and he had missed twenty years of getting to wake up Udonna and Leanbow on Christmas morning.

Christmas morning came and after getting dressed, Nick scampered—well, crept actually—into his parents' room and jumped on Leanbow. "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" he shook his parents and bounced around on the bed.

Leanbow stirred and stared at his son. "Bowen, it's nine o'clock—in the morning," Leanbow murmured, sleepily—despite being a mighty warrior, Leanbow didn't mind getting a few extra hours of sleep. What person in their right mind wouldn't?

Udonna climbed out of bed and said, "Now, you're excited this morning, Bowen."

Nick grinned at her and then turned back to Leanbow and said, "Yeah, on Christmas. Get up, Dad."

"Aren't you a little old to be jumping on us on Christmas?" Leanbow asked, still refusing to get out of bed.

Nick frowned and, sitting on Leanbow's stomach and staring down at his father, said, "Well, I missed getting to do this for the past twenty years 'cause I was in the human world and you were stuck in the Underworld."

"If I recall, you did wake us both up our first Christmas together, as well," Udonna murmured, "Twenty years ago."

Leanbow groaned and finally climbed out of bed. "OK, I'm up," Leanbow grimaced. "You can get off me."

"Come on, come on," Nick tugged on his parents' hands.

"Are all kids like this on Christmas?" Leanbow asked Udonna.

She nodded and said, "You were like this every time your parents mentioned that my family was coming to visit—not that I minded."

Leanbow rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek, letting Nick lead them out of the bedroom.

The rest of the rangers and the small family had an enjoyable time that Christmas. "I can't wait for next year," Nick grinned up at Udonna and Leanbow as they put him to bed.

"Me neither," Leanbow ruffled his son's hair. Nick hadn't asked for anything for Christmas that year and when Udonna asked him why, he had told her that he already gotten what he wanted—he always wanted to know who his birth parents were and he had gotten that weeks before Christmas.


	17. Author's Note

**_A/N. Hey guys, thanks for all the votes so far. We're halfway done. Just 50 more votes and you'll learn who gets sacrificed to Max's wrath. So be sure to vote.  
_**


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